One-Eyed Monster

After much thought, Igor finally reached a realization. He believed the World Setting Technique was considered a service-oriented art because it inherently possessed a strong service-like quality. This art allows one to manifest what their heart desires to show others, but regardless of the presentation, it transforms into a form the recipient can accept. This was the World Setting Technique: an art that couldn’t quite be classified as Alchemy, nor could it be strictly termed Spellcraft.

No one could definitively say which Class System this art truly belonged to. It utilized the principle of exchange from Alchemy and involved the Illusionary Realm from Spellcraft. Delving deeper, it also encompassed the Hunter’s Stealth Ability and the Scholar’s deductive reasoning. It was a complex amalgamation, resembling many things yet being distinctly unique. Perhaps this very art’s complexity and uniqueness made it the treasured art of the Alchemy Workshop, and for this reason, very few people ever mastered it. Consequently, public perception of the World Setting Technique had significantly diverged from its origins since its inception.

Whether through guesswork or deduction, Igor was now incredibly close to understanding the art’s original purpose.

Kuren was astonished. This is simply incredible! he thought. This young man has subtly grasped the art’s true, original intent. He’s an incredibly rare individual, and this is an equally rare event.

Kuren reassessed the young man. Though unassuming in appearance, his thought processes were peculiar, and his remarks often startlingly insightful. His arrival had brought a new atmosphere to Guru Mountain and, simultaneously, shown these creatures another path to survival. Perhaps we’ve hidden from the world for too long, or perhaps our time is genuinely running short, Kuren mused. They were attempting to change, an initiative that originated from the Great Mentor.

Coincidentally, this art also originated from the Great Mentor.

Most people learning this art would fixate on its various powers. They would constantly wonder what benefits it could offer, how much strength it could grant, or how effectively it could intimidate enemies. Their focus invariably lay on what the art could provide them, a preoccupation that far exceeded the art’s original intent. Such deviation from its fundamental nature would inevitably distort it. This was why Kuyi Tulan, the current Chief of the Alchemy Workshop, paid little heed to this art. Kuyi Tulan consistently viewed it as mere trickery—a means of concealing truth, a disguise—possessing little actual power. He believed it was a deception fit only to fool novices new to the professional world. Since Kuyi Tulan himself would never fall for such ploys, he considered the art to be without substantial practical use. Therefore, Kuyi Tulan never bothered to study this art, deeming it a frivolous creation of the Great Mentor, likely conceived for mere amusement.

Superficially, the art did indeed resemble a jest, much like Alchemists consistently ridiculed the Hunter’s Stealth Ability. Kuyi Tulan always felt that the World Setting Technique, predominantly based on drawing, was nothing more than child’s play, a mere children’s toy.

The art’s original intention had long been forgotten by the Alchemy Workshop. It was a peculiar, treasured art. Many in the Golden Seats believed that its ultimate mystery remained ungrasped precisely because they themselves did not truly understand it. Consequently, they always assumed that only the Great Mentor, its creator, understood its most profound meaning. Their expectations for the art were therefore not particularly high, viewing it as a treasure bequeathed by the Great Mentor specifically to the Chief of the Alchemy Workshop. They considered it the Chief’s private affair, meaning others, regardless of their curiosity, had no opportunity to delve into its deeper significance. They possessed neither the authority nor the qualifications to meddle, as it was strictly the domain of the Alchemy Workshop’s Chief. Of course, this was all merely their collective conjecture.

Kuren, however, had no need for guesswork. He had been different from the moment he transformed into a creature. Ever since their transformation into creatures, they had known the world had forsaken them. Such abandonment would leave anyone feeling isolated and helpless. However, the Great Mentor rescued them in their hour of dire need. From that moment, they formed an inseparable bond with the Great Mentor, thinking his thoughts and sharing his concerns. Under the Great Mentor’s arrangements, everything felt natural. Guru Mountain became their home, a sanctuary where they could finally open their hearts.

Thus, for Kuren, this art was as familiar as daily bread. He understood everything about it: from its original creative intent and its distorted development to its current state. The Great Mentor concealed nothing from them and trusted them completely. This was an undeniable fact for every one of them. The Great Mentor shared everything with them—every detail, every art, and the original intention behind each art were all imparted to these unfortunate souls.

This was the Great Mentor’s charm, and also his mettle. The Great Mentor’s ability to judge character was undoubtedly excellent and unquestionable. Although the three disciples he took on were not commendable—which must have been an anomaly—his judgment of others had never erred. The saying, ”The Great Mentor’s disciples are no saints,” had long circulated as a rumor in the professional world.

But that was a digression. The current focus remained on the World Setting Technique.

When Kuren learned the World Setting Technique, he was told its true meaning. The art’s original intention was actually quite simple, not nearly as convoluted as others imagined. Others perceived the art as overly complex, but that simply wasn’t true. The Great Mentor’s motive for creating this art was pure, devoid of any convoluted reasoning. His original intention in creating this art was simply: sharing.

Sharing—such a simple concept, yet people had made it so complex. It truly showed how much they were overthinking. Sometimes, things were just like that. The simpler something was, the more people tended to overcomplicate it. Those with complex minds often perceived everything in the world as equally complex—a truly lamentable state of affairs. Lamentable people, lamentable situations—all born from such complications. Without intricate thoughts, there wouldn’t be so many convoluted ideas, and people wouldn’t be blinded by such simple truths.

Take Igor, for example. He rarely overthought things, always observing the world with an untainted, straightforward perspective. Though he might misjudge at times, he could still perceive the essence of matters during critical moments. And just like this time, he had once again, by a stroke of serendipity, hit the nail right on the head.

I didn’t expect any of this, Igor realized.

Seeing Kuren’s smiling face, Igor finally knew he had answered correctly. I really lucked out this time, he thought. But the details aren’t important. The important thing is that I’ve found what I was looking for.